Dear child, sweet child,
I read your letter.
I kept your words in my heart,
and now I send a letter to you.
I did not know you,
and you did not know me,
yet our hearts were connected.
And from one letter I learned so much about you.
I know you loved life.
You loved it so much,
that you gave it,
so others could be free.
You wanted to become a mother,
and you expressed your regret,
that this would never happen.
But it did.
You became the mother,
of hope, courage, and inspiration.
Your children reside in the hearts of many,
and they encourage all to continue the fight.
You are feeling the sun in your face,
for now you are much closer to it.
And Neda is there with you,
as are all your brothers and sisters who also gave their lives.
I know you are with them.
And Allah is there with all of you.
And those that linger here,
will be able to see freedom in their country because of you.
They will heal,
they will laugh,
they will love life,
and they will be free.
The tyrants may have shattered your body,
but not your spirit, and what you gave to your people.
And you will continue to live on in the hearts of your family and friends,
as well as ours.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
A friend you did not meet, a friend you did not know.
I read your letter.
I kept your words in my heart,
and now I send a letter to you.
I did not know you,
and you did not know me,
yet our hearts were connected.
And from one letter I learned so much about you.
I know you loved life.
You loved it so much,
that you gave it,
so others could be free.
You wanted to become a mother,
and you expressed your regret,
that this would never happen.
But it did.
You became the mother,
of hope, courage, and inspiration.
Your children reside in the hearts of many,
and they encourage all to continue the fight.
You are feeling the sun in your face,
for now you are much closer to it.
And Neda is there with you,
as are all your brothers and sisters who also gave their lives.
I know you are with them.
And Allah is there with all of you.
And those that linger here,
will be able to see freedom in their country because of you.
They will heal,
they will laugh,
they will love life,
and they will be free.
The tyrants may have shattered your body,
but not your spirit, and what you gave to your people.
And you will continue to live on in the hearts of your family and friends,
as well as ours.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
A friend you did not meet, a friend you did not know.
---
Dedicated to Fayah June 23, 1986 - August 2, 2009.
Another brave person taken from her loved ones by tyrants in Iran. She sent a letter to her friends, and that letter reached countless people around the world. This was her final message to the world:
"I love life. I love to laugh and be with my friends. There are so many books I want to read, movies I want to see, people I want to meet. I want to marry, to be a good wife and mother. I want to grow old with the people I love, to feel the sun on my face, to see the ocean, to travel.
My country is in a terrible state. People have no jobs. There is no money. People have no freedom. Women must hide themselves from the world, and we have no choices.
Our people--we are not terrorists. We hate terrorists. And that is what our government has become. They kill our people for no reason. They torture us in their prisons because we want freedom. They make our country look evil, they make our religion look evil.
We are fighting for our freedom, for our religion, for our country. If we do nothing while injustice abounds, we become unjust. We turn into the ones we hate.
I have to fight. I have to go back on the streets. I will make them kill me. I will join Neda, with my friends, and then maybe the world will hear us.
I never thought I would become a martyr, but it is needed. The more of us they kill, the smaller they become, the more strength the people will have. Maybe my death will mean nothing, but maybe it will buy my country freedom.
I am very sad that I will never be a mother, that I will never do the things I love, but I would rather die than do nothing and know that I am to blame for the tortures, the murder, the hatred.
Please tell the world how much we love life. That we are not terrorists. We just want to be free."
She died on August 2, 2009 after being beaten by the Basiji forces. Her family notified her contacts weeks later. Today is her 40th day anniversary, and I wanted to dedicate this poem to her, as well as those who died since the Green Movement began. And though I never knew this woman, I am still deeply saddened that this happened to her - however, it is nothing compared to what her family must be going through, as they are undoubtedly being harassed by the government as a result of a stance for freedom. I can only offer my deepest sympathies to her family and her friends, and hope they will heal and be safe.
Rest in peace, Fayah.
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